Women and men alike frequently adorn their bodies with jewelry for both aesthetic and functional reasons. Jewelry or ornamentation to be placed around a person's neck is generally called a necklace. Necklaces can take many forms: being chunky or dainty, made out of plastic or metal, having a long or short diameter, or being flexible or rigid. It may also encircle the neck or be open at some point, and may include a clasp or other fastener to secure the necklace around the neck of the person wearing it. The necklace clasp fasteners can be very tiny and difficult to utilize without the aid of either a mirror or another person's assistance. Further for children, the elderly, and persons with reduced dexterity and/or eyesight may be left unable to move the clasp from an open operational state, defined as having the clasp open and the necklace off of the person, to a closed operational state, defined as having the clasp closed or engaged and the necklace encircling the person's neck. Such that in the absence of another person's assistance, such people will be left unable to wear their desired jewelry.
The necklace clasp fasteners also cause additional problems, as the clasp-style fasteners can break or become stuck, rendering the necklace unable to be worn without repair. As the clasps tend to be extremely small for the purpose of not being visually obvious, are often difficult to manage for even the most dexterous persons, especially if they lack the benefit of long fingernails to aid in opening and closing the clasp. In addition, these clasps also have tiny parts that stick out and may rub on the back of the person's neck causing discomfort and chaffing and utilizing a larger clasp with smoother connecting parts is not necessarily a feasible solution, as it would likely destroy the aesthetic appeal of the necklace.
Necklaces can also fasten around a person's neck by tying two elements together, however this too causes problems. Should the elements be tied too loosely, they may untie on their own and the necklace may slip off unbeknownst to the person wearing it, and if they are tied too tightly, the necklace may be very difficult to remove.
Additionally, because necklaces most typically encircle the neck, should they be grabbed by another person or caught on an object, damage may occur to the jewelry itself or the person wearing it could be injured. A woman walking down the street might have her necklace grabbed from behind by a mugger and depending on the durability of the material the necklace is made out of, could suffer great injury to her neck if it does not easily slide off or break. In another situation a child could fall and catch her necklace on a protruding object, strangling or injuring herself or destroying the necklace entirely. In yet another situation a woman shredding documents in an office might lean too far over the shredder and catch her long necklace between the blades and if the necklace is strong enough, it will neither break nor slide quickly off, endangering the woman's safety, and leading to potential strangulation or neck injury.
Furthermore, as an aesthetic matter, necklaces tend to shift around a person's neck while they are being worn. With necklaces consisting of a pendant on a chain or wire, or simply a bare chain and clasp, it is almost inevitable that the clasp or fastener will eventually slide around to the front where it does not belong requiring the person wearing it to readjust the necklace, as the clasp will typically have more mass (weight) than its adjacent chain portion, thus by virtue of the person having neck movement while wearing the necklace, the clasp will tend to undesirably gravitate to the bottom front of the person wearing it from the normal starting position of the clasp at the rear of the neck at the highest point (being the most hidden position for the clasp). This frequent readjustment demands vigilance from the person wearing the necklace, and may even lead to self-consciousness. This same problem exists to a greater degree of annoyance in necklaces that are more fixed in design. If the masses of the design are not properly balanced, one mass may constantly pull downwards, causing other masses or elements to be pulled behind the neck and hidden from view, destroying the aesthetic appeal, and causing additional annoyance and hassle.
In looking at the prior art, these aforementioned issues have somewhat been recognized and attempts to address some of these concerns by designing clasp-less necklaces with a large enough diameter to fit over the person's head, or clasp-less necklaces with an opening either in the front or in back, moldable necklaces that are rigid enough to maintain their shape once the person has formed it, and necklaces with interchangeable pieces which may be assembled and disassembled easily. However, problems still remain, in the area of personal safety, and damage to, or complete destruction of the jewelry are still concerns should the necklace be grabbed from behind, or become caught on another object. Also, ease of use is still a concern for children, the elderly, and persons with reduced dexterity or eyesight; and aesthetic concerns may still arise from improperly balanced masses as previously described.
Starting with U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,252 to Fossas disclosed is a means of providing balance to a necklace such that pressure on the neck caused by increased necklace diameter is alleviated. As shown by Fossas in FIG. 5B, this invention may still feature a clasp which may be difficult for children or persons with reduced dexterity or eyesight to operate, and the encircling nature of the necklace shown in FIGS. 1, 5A, 5B, and 6 still leaves open the possibility of damage to the jewelry or injury to the person wearing it should it be grabbed or caught. Additionally, though Fossas attempts to provide a semblance of balance to the necklace, it is achieved by including elements, as seen in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, and 4, that essentially fix the necklace over the top of the person's shoulders to hold it in place. As discussed in column 1, lines 56-61, the purpose of the Fossas design is to allow people to wear longer necklaces without suffering the additional pressure exerted on the back of the neck that would typically accompany a necklace with a larger diameter. Furthermore, one can imagine the annoyance and discomfort caused if the more flexible shoulder rests Fossas discloses in FIG. 2B or 4 were to slide off of the person's shoulders.
Continuing in the prior art, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,489 to Strong discloses modular jewelry that may easily be put together and rearranged to create differing styles. While Strong allows for easy assembly and disassembly, like Fossas, the problem of the possibility of damage to the jewelry or injury to the person wearing it still exists. In column 3, lines 20-28, Strong describes how the elements may be easily assembled and disassembled yet they are still designed to remain attached until the person purposefully disassembles them. In column 3, lines 33-38, Strong further discusses the object of the invention to keep from damaging clothing or causing injury to the person wearing the necklace, however Strong refers to using a method of attaching the elements without requiring a structure with sharp edges or which protrudes significantly beyond the body of the jewelry. Nowhere does Strong address a piece that is easily put on and taken off for both ease of use, and personal safety. Also, like Fossas, the necklace embodiment of Strong is susceptible to imbalance, requiring the person wearing it to frequently readjust the jewelry to maintain its aesthetic appearance.
Additionally, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,299 to Maveety discloses pliable jewelry without fasteners meant to be bent around portions of a person's body and worn. While Maveety indeed makes it easier for children, the elderly, and persons with reduced dexterity or eyesight to wear the jewelry, this jewelry appears thick, chunky, and heavy, further such persons may desire to wear something daintier and lighter or more suitable for a formal occasion. FIGS. 7 and 15 of Maveety illustrate the thick and chunky nature of this jewelry, and column 1, lines 36-39, describes the jewelry as being made out of bendable metal surrounded by a rubber-type material. This style may be appropriate for casual occasions, but it is likely inappropriate in a more formal context. Maveety is designed to maintain its shape based on the rigidity of the material used, as opposed to the balance of weights on the piece, and as such the person wearing may not be able to consistently bend the necklace into the same shape. Furthermore, due to Maveety's requirement that the material be rigid enough to hold its shape once the person forms it, should it be grabbed from behind or caught on an object, it is not likely to come off without significant injury or discomfort.
Further in the prior art, in U.S. Design Pat. No. 456,733 to Hafner teaches the general concept of a necklace without a fastener which is open at the front. However, as this is a design patent, there is no text to teach anything regarding the balance of the masses, or the flexibility of the wire. Hafner might drape loosely around the neck, or might be made out of a material so rigid it would be difficult to put on and take off. If the material is too flexible it could be very difficult to keep the necklace in its desired position, especially exacerbated if the masses are not properly balanced.
Continuing, in U.S. Design Pat. No. 511,308 to Gay is another design patent teaching the same general concept as Hafner, and U.S. Design Pat. No. 514,976 to Gay is yet a third. Without text to teach regarding the balance of masses or the flexibility of the wire, we are left ignorant, and must guess as to what will work best.
Furthermore, in U.S. Design Pat. No. 545,715 to Thiessen teaches the general concept of a necklace without a fastener which is open instead at the back. However, like the design patents to Gay and the design patent to Hafner, Thiessen has no text to teach regarding the flexibility of the wire, or balance of the weights. The potential for personal injury, or for disfigurement or damage to the necklace should it be grabbed from behind or caught on another object still exists.
What is needed in the present invention is a piece of jewelry without a fastener clasp capable of being worn as a necklace suitable for both casual and formal occasions, made out of a flexible element which is easily manipulated, yet rigid enough to maintain an aesthetically pleasing shape around a person's neck when masses are balanced at each end. This piece of jewelry should be easy enough for all persons including children, the elderly, and persons with reduced dexterity or eyesight to move from an open operational state, defined as holding the necklace open such that it can be placed around a person's neck, to a closed operational state, defined as allowing the necklace to rest naturally around a person's neck. This feature would also protect their personal safety should the necklace be grabbed from behind or caught on another object because it would easily slide off of the person without injury or damage to the necklace.